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Best way to setup 2.1 system?

post #1 of 7
12/22/04 at 3:03pm
Thread Starter 
I plan on buying a pair of bookshelf speakers along with a dayton sub for use with my computer. I'll be buying an amp or reciever. I imagine that the sound card does make a difference, but does it(I'm not sure since there will be a reciever or amp)? I may pick up a new sound car also. Anyway, what is the best way to set this up? Just speakers to the reciever and reciever to the soundcard? I'm a newbie at this stuff so any help is appreciated.
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post #2 of 7
12/22/04 at 7:44pm
i've never done anything like this.. but i imagine you'd just run the outputs of your sound card to the proper inputs of the receiver via whatever type of cable would be required for that (if you have an audigy, probably stereo->mono.. if you have an emu or something that only has mono outputs, a mono->mono cable.. at least i think receivers generally have mono audio inputs), and the speakers/sub would be hooked up to the receiver.

seems pretty simple, but there may be something else involved.. i dunno.
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post #3 of 7
12/22/04 at 7:53pm
the way i do it is the soundcard to the preamp (my headphone amp) to the receiver's tape in (actually i use "video" audio in lol) and there you go. you don't have to have the preamp in there obviously. my bookshelfs sound just fine. if i want to add a sub, hmm, my reciever doesnt have a sub out but if yours does you should be fine. my reciever DOES have a second speaker out, so i can use that terminal pair to goto a sub in the future i guess.
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post #4 of 7
12/22/04 at 9:20pm
Thread Starter 
So does it matter what channel the sound card is(in case I want to add more speakers later)? Also, is it possible to add two subs into the equation? And what are some good cheap recievers out there?
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post #5 of 7
12/22/04 at 9:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by number1sixerfan
So does it matter what channel the sound card is(in case I want to add more speakers later)? Also, is it possible to add two subs into the equation? And what are some good cheap recievers out there?
i think it depends on how many channels you want to use. if you get a stereo receiver (2 channels), then you'll just run the front channel output from the sound card into the receiver.

if you have a multi-channel receiver, you'd probably run front->front, center->center, and rear->rear.. depending on how many speakers you're actually using.

as for receivers, i guess onkyo and denon make pretty good ones.
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post #6 of 7
12/23/04 at 4:46am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by asmox
i think it depends on how many channels you want to use. if you get a stereo receiver (2 channels), then you'll just run the front channel output from the sound card into the receiver.

if you have a multi-channel receiver, you'd probably run front->front, center->center, and rear->rear.. depending on how many speakers you're actually using.

as for receivers, i guess onkyo and denon make pretty good ones.

So if I want to run 5.1 and the receiver is 5.1, but my soundcard is only 2 channels, then I can still do it right?
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post #7 of 7
12/23/04 at 4:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by number1sixerfan
So if I want to run 5.1 and the receiver is 5.1, but my soundcard is only 2 channels, then I can still do it right?
eh, no..

if you have a 2 channel sound card like an e-mu or something, you'll only be able to run those two channels into the receiver.. so basically you'll just be able to do 2.1 (at least i think you can do the sub with bookshelves). if you have a 5.1 capable card like an audigy2, it'll have three stereo jacks on the back - front, center and rear.. and i guess you'd just run those into the front/center/rear inputs on the receiver.. and you'd hook the speakers up to the proper terminals on the back of the receiver as well (there should be terminals for front/center/rear speakers, or something to that effect).

so no, you'd need a 5.1 card to make full use of a 5.1 receiver. 2 channels = 2 speakers. i know you can do 2.1 out of a 2 channel card using pc multimedia speakers because the sub and the sats are basically integrated as one unit.. but i dunno how it works if you use bookshelves and a separate sub. you can probably still do 2.1.
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